Read Deacon: A BWWM Billionaire Romance for Free Online

combinations to get us to the end over and over.
    I shivered at the memory of his heat unloading in me. I'd stopped at a pharmacy to get the pill on the way back, but it had been foolish. And somehow even now it nearly had me walking into a cubicle wall instead of scolding myself.
    Once was ok. Next time, we’d definitely be more careful.
    Oh god, next time? What was I getting into?
    I knocked on Phil’s door. He was bent over a desk, his bald head glimmering from the Houston sun even through the fogged glass wall.
    “Enter,” his muffled voice rang out.
    I slipped in, and shut the door behind. Phil had straightened behind his desk. Now he was finishing adjusting the collar of his checkered shirt and clearing the mess of paperwork on his desk. I beamed warmly. He always tried to look a bit better for me. I liked to think I inspired him with my work.
    “Kiara,” he said. “How are you? Glad to be back to oil land?”
    “It's always good to be home.” I sat in the rolling seat across from him. “Wish I could have gotten in yesterday though.”
    “You're under no obligation to be here today, you know? I really didn't expect to see you here after you sent in the SkyPower report this morning.” He spread his arms. “Honestly, we can debrief tomorrow. You must be exhausted.”
    “Oh no, that wasn't what I meant.” I paused, steadying my voice. “I got plenty of time in bed last night.”
    “Really? I noticed you didn't get a hotel last night after all. Maybe I missed it. ”
    My face started to heat up as he clicked through something on screen.
    “Actually, the airline put us up,” I said.
    He looked at me warily. “Really? They don't usually do that for bad weather.”
    “Yeah...so, it was really nice of them. The other airlines didn't step up.”
    “Alright, well, good for you, but we should really get someone from the consumer division over there to take a look at that policy.”
    “Good idea.” I calmed and scanned his desk. “Is that my report?” I asked.
    “It is.” He bent in. “You really sure you want to go over it now?”
    “I'm sure. That is, if you have the time.”
    He chuckled and pulled over the stapled sheets. “Honestly, I never need much time for you Kiara. I barely catch even a misplaced comma, and never in anything important like the numbers.”
    Oof, those words got me tingling in a whole different way. All those hours hunched over in the airport lounge were worth it. Praise was so much like a drug. But it was ok to bask as long as I got it for the right reasons.
    “I appreciate that, Phil,” I said. “But come on, the good grammar's cause of Microsoft Word. I made some mistakes early on in this case.”
    “Not in the client's eyes. They gave you a glowing rating for the regulatory bonus you found for them. That's really what counts.”
    “It was good working with them, too. I think they're a really promising company.”
    “I'm glad. You have a real knack for this industry.”
    Clean energy had never even been in my vocab growing up. Heck, even accounting hadn't been on my radar. Switching to it as a major had been hard enough, but the classes had been brutal. The math was beyond anything I'd ever faced before. In some twisted way, it was my past that taught me how to lock myself away and study until I could ace my classes.
    Compared to that, learning about this company or that was cake. It all came down to money. Still, I liked working with wind and solar. They might be underdogs but they had the right idea, and one day, maybe I could help them sprout like I had.
    “Now,” Phil said. “There's room for a little improvement. Nothing you should have called me about, but just some things to consider for your next assignment.”
    I moved to the edge of the chair. “I'm all ears.”
    We spent the next half hour going into the details. Phil was smart and I took in every word. Even Deacon's face receded to a shadow – though it didn't completely disappear.
    “So,” Phil